


Notification

by LizBee



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Gen, Prompt: "First", The Admiral's Legion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 11:43:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13007076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizBee/pseuds/LizBee
Summary: Kat has her own starship, but there's one thing she has to do before she can think of herself as the captain.





	Notification

**Author's Note:**

> Written for The Admiral's Legion's prompt: "First".

Kat had pictured her promotion to captain as a formal, significant event. Dress uniforms. Champagne. The official transfer of command, witnessed by her new crew and maybe a few flag officers. Shaking the hand of her new ship's outgoing captain. 

Routine. 

The reality was anything but. 

It would take the _Tereshkova_ two months at high warp to return to the outskirts of Federation space. Kat had held off giving the order, and had the crew concentrate on making repairs. Even with the damage they had taken in the last week, they didn't need to return to base unless ordered. The _Tereshkova_ was built for deep space exploration, and designed for long-term self-sufficiency. 

Kat wished she could say the same for herself. In just a few years, she had gone from Starfleet psychiatrist, with no plans to be anything but chief medical officer of a starship, to commanding her own vessel. 

She didn't feel ready. 

But then, Captain Lopez would have told her, no one ever did.

The message from Starfleet Command had arrived thirty minutes ago. She was still sitting in the captain's ready room, staring at the empty screen. Admiral Jalair's words echoed in her mind. 

"After reviewing all logs, we have concluded that there is no need to open a formal inquiry into the events leading to Captain Lopez's death. Her actions were entirely appropriate, and the outcome, though tragic, was unavoidable.

"For your actions and strategic judgement after Captain Lopez was killed, a commendation has been added to your record, and we are pleased to confirm your permanent appointment as captain of the _Tereshkova_ , and your orders to complete your five-year mission." 

Accompanying the message was a full copy of Starfleet Command's written decision, and the codes authorised her to synthesise a new rank insignia. It was sitting on Captain Lopez's desk. Her desk. Waiting for her. 

She needed to inform the crew. Let Sheleth know that she, too, was being promoted, and that she needed to choose a new chief operations officer to take over her current duties. Finish the repairs to the ship. She needed to send messages to her family and friends. 

There was just one thing she needed to do first. 

Her hand closed around the new insignia, but she wasn't ready to put it on. Claudette had a family. A wife and children. Starfleet would have notified them in person already, but as captain of the _Tereshkova_ , Kat had her own duty. It was bad enough she was sitting in Captain Lopez's chair. She wasn't going to rub her family's noses in the fact that she had inherited Claudette's rank. 

She hit _record_.

"Ms Heisler-Lopez. My name is Commander Katrina Cornwell, and I had the honour of serving as your wife's first officer for three years…"

When she was done, she removed her old rank pin and put the new one in its place. 

Then she checked the casualty list, and the names of the three families left to contact. 

"Matriarch Losha. I'm Captain Katrina Cornwell, and I had the great pleasure of serving with your son--"

 

_end_


End file.
